When it comes to teenagers, there is nothing that you can “set and forget” and this stands especially true for teenagers who have unlimited access to their smartphones.
Even when it might seem as though your children have got the right side of the virtual world under control because they never seem to be breaking any rules and even when you feel you know what they are doing through parental control apps, there is still a chance that you’re missing out on the toxic content which could be affecting your child.
Here are some ways that you can have better control over your child’s virtual safety.
Check Their Apps
By this, we do not mean that you should infringe your child’s privacy. This is to remember that apps are continually changing since their developers like to play with their features, buttons and marketing team sometimes change the entire structure of the app by adding new tools, new settings which beautify and alters the app behind the scene.
Many times, what seems like a simple app might be changed by its founding company until it poses a particular threat to the wellbeing of your child. There are not enough social media addiction control apps to make sure that your children do not indulge in the cyber world too much and to the point that this habit becomes unhealthy.
A recent example is a well-known app- Instagram. The app changed the position of “save” and “post to your story” buttons in the last update which sent a wave of annoyance among its users who accidentally shared their photographs that they never intended to post. Even if your child is cautious about what he/she uploads, such changes might trick them into doing things they otherwise wouldn’t do.
This is when we feel the need for social media parental control apps so that we can keep our children safe from erratic changes in the working pattern of social media.
Watch out Their Activities
Another thing which may be done is by checking what your children come across daily on the internet. You can always have a healthy conversation with your young ones about what they use the internet. You can ask them who they are talking to, what their friends are sharing over the internet, what they are talking about.
Many a time, the people that children consider their “virtual friends” place them in an uncomfortable position that they are afraid to talk about. Talking to your children about these things helps open up about the matters which they are trying to keep to themselves due to an unhealthy reason.
For instance, if ever your child is requested to join a group, the right thing for a parent to do is go to the source of the request- perhaps a teacher or a mentor has made the request, or maybe it’s a stranger with mal-intention. The person requesting acceptance of his group invitation should be able to answer for himself/herself.
If you do not have parental control apps, you can always rely on a good conversation to get to know your kid. The kind of information that surrounds them daily.
Understand Their Story
Although parents cannot have the perfect social media addiction control apps, they can always make use of whatever is available in the app market. If you feel that you do not know how to use a particular app to its maximum, then you should contact free to ask your children for assistance on the matter.
Your tech-savvy children can show you everything you need to know about the app. They can show you the ropes around an app, taking you on a guided tour through the settings and functions of the app. If you’re new to social media, your children can also inform you as to how people on the internet interact with each other. You will find that having your children show you the actions and maneuvers needed in a social media app is much better than reading a tutorial of the same.
Conclusion
We cannot deny the influence and need for technology in our lives. At the same time, we must have the eye to see the pros and cons of anything that we do virtually. With the right parental control apps, you can make sure that you and your children see only the positive reflection of the cyber world. Hence, you remain sheltered from the bad aspects of the internet.
